My tiller is bent, can i straighten it? or can I replace it by buying stock aluminum tubing and cut to fit. Worst scenario I have to buy the part from MURRAY'S. ANY IDEAS

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Nacra 5.2
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i broke my crossbar this summer on the p-16 and robbed one off my h-16 and it was the exact same stock...just had to cut it and install the adjuster and end cap w/rivets. it's a high grade of aluminum tube, wasn't at lowes. is your 5.2's tube stock as thick as your old p-16's? someone told me about a company in laurel,ms that carries high grade stock but i'm not sure what size to tell them.

i'm assumeing your talking about the crossbar? or the tiller arm? if arm then i have the old prindle stock from my broken crossbar that would be plenty long for an arm.



Edited by coastrat on Nov 02, 2010 - 09:31 PM.

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Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook!
bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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The arm,

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Nacra 5.2
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hi

the arm is technically called the pintle, i think, on the 5.2 it is riveted to the alloy rudder stock casting

on pre-1985 boats the alloy pintle arm was straight, from 1985 onwards it was bent inwards 5%? on each side to enable each rudder to track through slightly different angles. this causes slightly less of a braking action and is called the akerman angle, which is used in pretty much all car steering systems

but presumably when you say bent you mean really badly bent/crimped up or down and you are talking replacement as straightening it looks like it will break it...

but you have the parts, can't you measure the width and wall thickness of the alloy tube and then order some from a pipe supplier?

you could use alloy, frp or carbon, it isn't hugely stressed in normal use so you could go slightly thinner in wall thickness if that's all your big home hardware store has

Erice I am impressed but the pintle is the rod that fits through the gudgeon. The tiller is depressed enough not to allow the rudder to go down fully. The rudder is actually bumping against the tiller. This may be why I have such harder steering when I am on a starboard tack.

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Nacra 5.2
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yes, my bad "a pintle is the pin on which a rudder turns"

no need to be impressed

maybe more need for photos...

having trouble visualizing how your bent tiller, the back of which is riveted to the casting ABOVE the rudder, is coming into contact with the rudder when it is down.....

maybe some photos are in order

but whatever weird is happening what about drilling out the rivets so the tiller off the casting and then, with a steel rod down the center, rolling until flat?
http://media.photobucket.…ng1/Nacra/Nacra58010.jpg

yes, my bad "a pintle is the pin on which a rudder turns"

no need to be impressed

maybe more need for photos...

having trouble visualizing how your bent tiller, the back of which is riveted to the casting ABOVE the rudder, is coming into contact with the rudder when it is down.....

maybe some photos are in order

but whatever weird is happening what about drilling out the rivets so the tiller off the casting and then, with a steel rod down the center, rolling until flat?

http://www.thebeachcats.com/classifieds/showfull.php?product=10850&bigimage=Nacra_5_2_001.jpg





Edited by erice on Nov 03, 2010 - 08:25 PM.

You have the correct scenario. The rudder is bumping right below where it is riveted. I will try the steel rod thanks. It is a slight bow ( I had to put a straight edge on it)

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Nacra 5.2
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https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/catalog/ALUMINUM/TUBE_ROUND

Lots of places to buy aluminium tubing such as the one above. In my city, Ft Worth there are numerous places to buy tubing. I stepped on one of my tillers while letting down the mast. I have spares so didn't rush to fix my tiller, but when I do, I'll buy a piece of aluminum tubing made of T6061 that is 0.065" thick and have at it. Go look at yours when you can. I think you'll see there are washers b/t the rivets that hold the tube to the adjacent structure and there are washers b/t that tubing and the structure. Also the rivet holes didn't appear to be drilled in the dead center of the tubing but are off set to the top of the tubing. I might be wrong about that part but that is what I remember seeing on mine. I use a pneumatic/haydraulic riviting tool from Harbour Freight that cost less than thirty bucks if memory servers. Well worth owing if you have a air compressor. Does fine on monel/alumiunum/steel rivets. Beats the hand rivet tool all to pieces.

Another online site is http://www.metalsdepot.com/. But Murrays can get you one from NACRA but if they don't have one in stk then you'll have to wait a couple of weeks to get it. Been there done that for gudgeons for a 5.2 recentyly (gonna put NACRA 5.2 rudders on a old Freestyle boat (Freestyle 474 rudders SUCK. Too small. Too much weather helm in decent winds). I've a 5.2 and a Freestyle 474 and Raptor 16 presently plus several rowing shells. Give rowing a try sometime.

http://www.metalsdepot.com/Cart3/viewCart1.phtml?LimAcc=&aident=

Is another place. Cost is ten bucks for four feet of it. I'll figure out how to post jps on this site someday.

I love this site

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Nacra 5.2
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Just remember that the metal stores selling the T6061 is not anodized, where as the factory supplied parts are anodized. Not a big deal for the first few years, but then corrosion accelerates, especially in coastal waters. I've done it both ways . . .

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Philip
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